AIBU?
School rules and nuts
Bagsalot · 25/10/2018 21:16
My daughter is 11 yesterday was her birthday. She took an asda tray bake to school with her. She wasn't allowed to share it as apparently some where on the box it says may contain nuts. This has never been an issue before. Today an email came out stating no nuts or seeds allowed in school including lunchboxes. My daughter's in year 6 has been at the school since nursery age 2, this has never been mentioned. I've asked to see the risk assessment. I feel it's an unreasonable policy but possibly I'm being unreasonable
PMSwithacockinmydress · 25/10/2018 21:17
You feel a ban on nuts is unreasonable?
Really?
FallenSky · 25/10/2018 21:18
Presumably there is now a child or adult within the school that has an allergy. Most schools around my area are nut free nowadays. It's not that difficult to not send in nut products although I can understand the frustration with the cake as you hadn't been told beforehand.
dementedpixie · 25/10/2018 21:18
Our primary school was always nut free. Never had anything about it at secondary school though
HauntedPencil · 25/10/2018 21:19
The was a girl that died from incorrect packaging and the case was recently in the public eye so it's no wonder places are clamping down.
I think it's a reasonable rule. If someone did have a severe allergy it could awful.
Mummymummums · 25/10/2018 21:19
And you don't need to see the risk assessment. You surely know it's a risk.
itsjustmebeingme · 25/10/2018 21:19
If your child had an allergy you’d want a no nut ban...it can kill
Returnofthesmileybar · 25/10/2018 21:20
I thought a ban on nuts was standard in a schools? Certainly is in any I have known, it's no big deal surely
Wolfiefan · 25/10/2018 21:20
If they have a child or a member of staff in school with a nut allergy then your Asda traybake could kill them.
YABU
And it’s not been a problem before? People move schools, receive a sudden diagnosis and rules have to change.
No nuts is a common policy.
EwItsAHooman · 25/10/2018 21:20
YABU. It doesn't matter how long she's been at the school, new children or staff members with a nut/seed allergy may have joined in the time since nursery or children/staff who have been there for the duration could have developed an allergy.
Preventing someone becoming seriously ill or dying is not an unreasonable policy.
CrispbuttyNo1 · 25/10/2018 21:20
Maybe a child with severe allergy is now at the school. It won’t kill your child to go without nuts - it may kill a child in the school if she doesn’t.
Yabvu
(I work in a nut free building - we have different schools visit every week for residential activities so it’s not a risk we are prepared to take)
MrWolfknowsthetime · 25/10/2018 21:20
Banning everything that “may contain” is OTT. And I speak as someone with anaphylaxis to nuts.
AJPTaylor · 25/10/2018 21:22
I have never sent anything into school with nuts in. Why would you?
feathermucker · 25/10/2018 21:22
You don't need to see the risk assessment. Most schools are nut free these days.
They're really not being unreasonable.
LL83 · 25/10/2018 21:22
Yabvu. Obviously it is now a risk to someone.
Also it's a pain for teachers to stop teaching and dish out a cake up to 30 times a yr.
Dermymc · 25/10/2018 21:23
Banning is nuts. Excuse the pun.
The world isn't nut free, those with an allergy have to learn to cope and carry an epi pen.
MakeAHouseAHome · 25/10/2018 21:23
Where do you draw the line though... do you ban anything and everything that MAY contain anything and everything that ANYONE may be allergic to?
SnuggyBuggy · 25/10/2018 21:25
So many things say that they may contain traces of nuts, it would be impossible to eliminate all of them
ladydickisathingapparently · 25/10/2018 21:25
I don’t think a no nuts rule is unreasonable at all in a primary school. Our (primary) school has always been nut free. Secondary school is a little trickier as obviously the children are older and can (hopefully) take additional precautions themselves to prevent accidental exposure. However, if a child had a serious enough allergy that even being near nuts could cause anaphylaxis then as a parent I’d be perfectly happy with a secondary school ban too.
We had a child at nursery who suffered an anaphylaxis after being in the same room as a tiny drop of spilt yogurt. Of course it was fine for the nursery to ask for no dairy to be brought into school. Ds3 has a history of anaphylaxis although luckily to a relatively unusual source and it’s a horrible, horrible thing to see.
Solasum · 25/10/2018 21:25
Ditto @Mrwolftellsthetime. It is blanket rulings like this that cause problems for real allergy sufferers in my view. Something that contains nuts, fair enough. Virtually everything ‘may conrain’ Though. It is back covering.
lunar1 · 25/10/2018 21:26
You can choose not to be an asshole over this, there is clearly now a child at school who has a serious allergy. Don't be the twat that thinks your child's right to eat cake is more important. You can feed her whatever you want at home.
Nanny0gg · 25/10/2018 21:27
The world isn't nut free, those with an allergy have to learn to cope and carry an epipen
And they can be careful where they go. So probably avoid restaurants that serve satay sauce for example.
But - they have to attend school. So it's easier for the school to manage the risk. And it's no big deal to not have peanut butter sandwiches or peanut bars.
You do realise that epipens aren't always enough, don't you?
TheSmallAssassin · 25/10/2018 21:27
That's kind of the point of a risk assessment MakeAHouseAHome - the best way to mitigate a risk will depend on the circumstances, who is allergic, what they're allergic to, how strong the reaction is.
ladydickisathingapparently · 25/10/2018 21:27
Oh and just to explain Epipens and similar. Please don’t think they’re a magic bullet. You don’t use one and magically get better. It buys you time to get to hospital. Hopefully. It might not even do that much. So it’s not a case of “well if you have allergies just carry an Epipen.” I wish it could be that simple.
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